In Star Trek, even the deadliest disease normally requires little more than a visit to Doctor Crusher or perhaps a night in sickbay. In the real world, we’re not so lucky. At least not yet. But organizations like the AIDS Research Alliance are working hard to make such treatment a reality. And with the help of those like LeVar Burton and We-Care.com, the future looks bright. In this episode of Matter Stream we’re joined by Dylan Nord of We-Care.com to talk about the current state of AIDS—both the disease and the search for a cure—as well as the efforts of Star Trek’s own LeVar Burton to raise awareness of and funds for research. Plus, you’ll find out how you can win lunch with LeVar and help the cause at the same time.

For more than 30 years Armin Shimerman has delighted television audiences with appearances on everything from Hill Street Blues to Who’s the Boss? to ER. And with the premiere of Deep Space Nine he became a household name thanks to his his portrayal of Quark. Since then Armin has made numerous other appearances on television, lent his voice talents to animation and video games, and now he has a new project in the works that promises to bring together his knack for comedy with a subject we all like to explore—the end of the world. In this episode of Matter Stream we’re joined by Armin to learn about this new project—Diani & Devine Meet the Apocalypse—how he came to be involved, what we can expect from the film, and how you can support the project.

Science fiction wishes to be the genre of imaginative extrapolation, yet the portrayal of female characters remains largely traditional. Even in today’s SF, the role of protagonist remains mostly a male occupation requiring by-the-numbers quests that fall short of a story’s scientific and technology ingenuity. But the sixteen writers collected in The Other Half of the Sky aim to change that by telling engaging stories in which women have strong roles. In this episode of Matter Stream host Christopher Jones is joined by Dr. Athena Andreadis, scientist and writer who conceived of and edited this collection of original fiction, to discuss the roles of women in SF literature as well as Star Trek.

Convincing the US Postal Service to issue a stamp honoring Star Trek seemed like an easy task. After all, few things have entrenched themselves in our culture like Star Trek. But as Bill Kraft quickly found out in 1985, getting the Postal Service to even consider the subject required a near act of divine intervention. In this episode of Matter Stream we’re joined by Bill to talk about the campaign he led, the formation of the committee and their efforts, and the 14-year journey that eventually gave us the 33-cent Star Trek stamp.

Star Trek Into Darkness may be pulling fans into theatres, but it isn’t the only thing capturing the eyes Trekkies this summer. Star Trek Rivals, a new card battle game from Elephant Mouse, has assimilated the screens of iOS devices worldwide. In this episode of Matter Stream Christopher Jones is joined by Elephant Mouse Senior Producer Heather Chandler and Lead Designer Thomas Kastner to talk about their studio and the game that has taken us all by storm. We’ll even get some tips and strategies from the creators themselves along the way.